Chabad Of Poland Marks Record Year Of Impact As Poland Continues To Serve As Refuge For Jews From War-Torn Ukraine

As the Jewish calendar turns to the new year, Chabad of Poland is marking a record year of humanitarian and spiritual impact, driven by an ongoing commitment to serving Jews in crisis and rebuilding Jewish life in a country historically associated with loss.

In 5785, Chabad of Poland expanded its transitional housing program for Ukrainian Jewish refugees to include 20 fully furnished apartments. These homes provide more than shelter. They are the first step toward rebuilding, a dignified space where families begin the process of resettlement, search for work, enroll children in school and reconnect with Jewish life.

Over the past year alone, nearly 10,000 meals were distributed to Ukrainian Jewish refugees on a monthly basis and more than 5,200 joined Chabad of Poland hosted Shabbat meals.

As part of its broader support system for refugees, Chabad of Poland hosted the Jewish community of Kamianske, Ukraine for a two-week retreat that provided engaging activities for participants of all ages while giving them reprieve from the war and a safe environment to relax, attend Torah classes and heal.

At the same time, Chabad of Poland continued its core mission of revitalizing Jewish life among Polish Jews and Jewish visitors. This year, more than a dozen Jews in Poland, long disconnected from their faith, rediscovered their Jewish identity through Chabad of Poland. A daily men’s Kollel and twice-weekly women’s Torah program led to over 330 classes and reaching more than 6,000 participants. Chabad of Poland hosted 20 major holiday meals and five community challah bakes. Visitors from Israel, the United States and around the world encountered not only the memory of prewar Jewish life but the vibrant presence of living Judaism in the heart of Europe.

Looking ahead to the High Holidays, Chabad of Poland is preparing to welcome hundreds for davening and meals in Warsaw. Over 5,000 meals and food packages will be distributed across Poland and Ukraine. Ten rabbinical students from Israel are flying in to help lead davening and blow shofar in Chabad’s shul and at satellite sites across Warsaw

“This was a year of continued unprecedented demand but also of unprecedented response,” said Chabad of Poland Director Rabbi Shalom Ber Stambler. “We were called to do more and with Hashem’s help and the partnership of the global Jewish community, we were able to say yes. Every apartment, every food package, every class points to the same goal: to help each Jew feel safe, seen and spiritually supported.”

“In a year marked by uncertainty, we witnessed something extraordinary,” said Chabad of Poland Co-Director Rabbi Mayer Stambler. “Poland, historically etched with the memory of the Holocaust and Jewish communities devastated, has became a place of return not only physically but spiritually. What we are continuing to see is the slow, steady rebuilding of Jewish life and the emergence of something lasting.”

As 5786 begins, Chabad of Poland continues its work with resolve, ready to support every Jew who walks through its doors whether they come as refugees, as seekers, or simply looking for a place to belong.

Since the start of the Russian incursion into Ukraine, Chabad of Poland based in Warsaw has opened its doors to Ukraine’s Jewish community offering refuge, transportation, kosher food, medical aid, financial and material assistance, childcare, educational and social services, communal activities and administrative and legal aid to tens of thousands displaced by the conflict. For more information or to contribute to relief efforts, please visit: www.saveajew.org.